Does anyone know what term Buddhists used to refer to themselves during the ancient and medieval time periods? I imagine that "Buddhist" must be a relatively recent term coined by Westerners during the Colonial era.

I recollect that the term "dhammika" is in the tipitaka and refers to one who practices the Dhamma.
Other terms: "savaka" or "hearer". Originally used for the Buddha's chief disciples but a wider usage was adopted later. Other ancient terms which I think became the names of ancient schools are Savakavadin and Vibhangavadin. If memory serves me well, a vibhangavadin was one who responded after careful analysis of a question or one who's path is analysis.
kind regards

Ben

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

dcs wrote:Does anyone know what term Buddhists used to refer to themselves during the ancient and medieval time periods? I imagine that "Buddhist" must be a relatively recent term coined by Westerners during the Colonial era.

Yes, both "Buddhist" and "Buddhism" are modern terms.

In Pāli the term most frequently used to refer to the Buddhist religion is sāsana, meaning the "doctrine" or "teaching" (lit. "message"), or Buddhasāsana, meaning the "doctrine/teaching of the Buddha."

In Chinese the term for the Buddhist religion is fo jiao (佛教), meaning the "teaching of the Buddha."

In Tibetan the term for the Buddhist religion is nang pa'i chos, meaning the "dharma of the insiders," and a Buddhist is called a nang pa, meaning "insider."

All of these terms (i.e. sāsana, fo jiao, nang pa'i chos) are commonly translated into English as "Buddhism."

Kare has it to my readings also, but I also remember (not the pali) sons/daughters of the sakiyan, but I think both may of been interchangeable. the Buddha also refered to his disciples as his children though.

on another note Ajahn Chah also was given a prophesy of "not having a wife but 100's of children" before he was ordained! he did apparently wonder how this was possible.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.John Stuart Mill

Monkey Mind wrote:What about this term upasaka or upasika? I see it used sometimes, but I don't know the origin.

upásaka: lit. 'sitting close by', i.e. a 'lay adherent', is any lay follower who is filled with faith and has taken refuge in the Buddha, his doctrine and his community of noble disciples (A. VIII, 25). His virtue is regarded as pure if he observes the 5 Precepts (pañca-síla; s. sikkhápada). He should avoid the following wrong ways of livelihood: trading in arms, in living beings, meat, alcohol and poison (A. V, 177). See also A. VIII, 75.

dcs wrote:Does anyone know what term Buddhists used to refer to themselves during the ancient and medieval time periods? I imagine that "Buddhist" must be a relatively recent term coined by Westerners during the Colonial era.

Samana, or Śramaṇas

Buddha was not the first Śramaṇa. His father, King Śuddhodana, while Siddhārtha was still a householder, feared that he would become a Śramaṇa. Śramaṇa's were a certain type of ascetics around at the time who shaved their heads and renounced the household life. They typically engaged in austerities, and meditation. Mahavira and Gotama the Buddha were both Śramaṇa contemporaries.

"Mahāvīra, the 24th Jina, and Gautama Buddha were leaders of their śramaṇa orders. According to Jain literature and the Buddhist Pali Canon, there were also some other śramaṇa leaders at that time." - quote from article below

The Buddha later realized that the sort of austerities they practiced had no benefit, and began his own path, up until his enlightenment. From this point on, his views/position greatly differed with the other Śramaṇa orders.
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From Article:

Several śramaṇa movements are known to have existed before the 6th century BCE dating back to Indus valley civilization.

Samkhya and Yoga are two early and very important philosophies that follow the Sramana philosophy and which had their origins in the Indus Valley period of about 3000-2000 BCE. Yoga is probably the most important Sramana practice to date, which follows the Samkhya philosophy of liberating oneself from the grip of Prakriti (nature) through individual effort. Elaborate processes are outlined in Yoga to achieve individual liberation through breathing techniques (Pranayama), physical postures (Asanas) and meditations (Dhyana). Patanjali's Yoga sutra is one product (school) of this philosophy. Other Yogic schools and the Tantra traditions are also important derivatives and branches of the Sramana practices.

The movement later received a boost during the times of Mahavira and Buddha when Vedic ritualism had become the dominant tradition in certain parts of India. Śramaṇas adopted a path alternate to the Vedic rituals to achieve liberation, while renouncing household life. They typically engage in three types of activities: austerities, meditation, and associated theories (or views). As spiritual authorities, at times śramaṇa were at variance with traditional Brahmin authority, and they often recruited members from Brahmin communities themselves, such as Cānakya and Śāriputra[3].

Mahāvīra, the 24th Jina, and Gautama Buddha were leaders of their śramaṇa orders. According to Jain literature and the Buddhist Pali Canon, there were also some other śramaṇa leaders at that time. ...